Vehicle-wheel.



1. 1. HEIM. VEHICLE WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 19.1915.

l 1 ,189,567. Patented J E11-y 4, 1916.

` ToLall whom it may l .citizen of the "United" UNITED s'rntriis r-mrunrornrcn Josnrii J, Harm; riKAnsAscxTY, MIssoUnrg- 'l VEHICLE-WHEEL;

Be it known that 1" States, Vresiding at Kansas City, vin thefcountyn'of Jackson and State of' Missouri, Ihave' inventedv certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle- *VVheelsg and I do and igures'of Jsuch as. Will-.enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, and to the'letters reference marked thereon, 'which form apart ofthis specification.

has, for its principal vehicleequipped `therewith `for both road.-`

` 'the agricultural districts,

towns or well settleddistrict's contiguous to a way anti track use.y i i In agreat many4 localities; particularlym there are smal but not directly on'a railroad or interurban A line; .the residents ofwhich vcan only yreach they pass, over ticularly in bad weather,

` `and particularly,

and commodities from the transportation.

. districts experience said lines, or 'cities' and towns through which. wagon roads. Sluch roads .are frequentlyv f such nature as to render tratlic thereover the residents of the smaller settlements or considerable inconvenience and expensein communication. with, in ycarrying products to lines and`1narket towns. -1

lVhile there may be sullcient traflic from and to such small necessary expenditure for installing steam or electrical transportation lines thereto, a less expensive system 'of ".'transportation would-be warranted, and in seekingto provide such a. 'relatively inexpensive system l have devised the present invention. 4

. Primarily the invention consists in equipping a motorv vehicle with wheels which may run on an ordinary roadway or on .a -railway track,it being the intention that for a greater-'portion of the distance between. the

olvia-te the necessity terminals ofthe transportation lineupon which the vehicle is used, travel may be overthe trackof I to increase the mbility or the vehicle and 'for special franchises or privileges, l provide for interrupting or terminating the Atrack `at railway crossings,

at city limits or other points, so that the l vehicle' may run ol'ef declar Athe following to r bea full, clear, and exactfdescription ofthe invention, 10

' i and use the'same,

' vehicle .equipped with my 4hicle wheel for track My invention relates'to vehicle wheels and .my improvements.

y object to', provide a wheel, for motor vehiclesthat may adapt a bothslow and tedious, par;l with the result thatl districts to warrant "the Under this condition,

the usual construction, but.

support the .weight of the railway, track onto the road or street, as an ordinary motorl vehicle'or trck. .In carrying out my invention have 'provlded improved details 'of preferred forms ofwhich are illustrated in the: accompanying drawings, wherein-:ef-

Figure I is a perspective' viewv l improved Wheels, and illustrating their use on a railway track. Fig. II is flange member that adapts'an ordinaryvemetricsecti'on of a vehicle wheel embodying Referring more in detail to the drawings:

1 designates av vehicle wheel, which may be.' 'of any suitable construction, but is here v the hubl 2, spokes 3, telly shown to comprise solid tire 6; which parts 4,- rim clamp 5 .and

use. Fig. IH is Ya dia" 'ma be Lof any ordinary and v.well known construction, as my invention does not reguire any particu-lar or improved. structure 1n the body of the wheel.

Attached `to the wheel l, preferably by. bolts 7 -8 that extend through the spokes and wheel 4Jfelly and through the hub and rim flanges 9-l0, is a web ll, having a ceny tra-l aperture l2 projected, and having circular rim 13 adjacent `its periphery;

through which the ,hubv 2 is a laterally directed the the tire 6, but preferably thesame as that ofthe rim flange i0, so thattheouterfportion of` the web serves as a ring to hold the tire in place.'

`4dian'ieter ofrthe webbeing less than that of It is'well that the treadof .an Aori vdinary autinb'ile or motor vehicle is such that the wheesmay run between and closely ladjacent the rails of a broad gage tracko the. laterally projecting rim 'i3 on the' web ll. will overlie the l track rails when 4he vehicle is driven onto .the track, so that the rims 'i3 may ser-veas track wheels to carry the vehicle on vthe track, and by setting the rim inside of the periphery of the web, the part of the web outside of the rim serves as a flange that may bear against the `inner edge of the ball 'of the rail to hold the wheel in place and ies take up the wear and protect the wheel-telly f and tire.`

In order to' stiften the rim so that it may the vehicle on the track, l provide wings 15 that till the angler between the rim and the web, and which ed, or until it reaches the terminal.

may be of suliicient number to provide the required strength and rigidity to the rim. Y

ln using my invention, wheels may be manufactured with the improvements embodied therein, or, if it is desired to equip a previously made vehicle with the improvements, the web and rim member may be made as a separate piece and attached to the wheel by the bolts heretofore described.

lilith the wheel equipped with the improvements and with the motor vehicle mounted on wheels so equipped. the vehicle may be run over a street or road as an ordinary automobile or truck; the tread being on the/,rubber tire as the track rim is inset from the tire, and will not touch the ground unless the tires sink into a soft roadway.

Then the route of the vehicle leads from one locality to a market town or railway junction, a track may be laid from one terniinal to the other and terminate at the municipal limits, and, if necessary, be interrupted at a crossing of a railway or at bridge points; the termination of the track at opposite sides of the railway or bridge points being so arranged that the vehicle may: run olf the track onto the roadway, cross the railroad or bridge on the roadway and then return to its rails.

Then a vehicle equipped with my improvements starts from one terminal to the other it runs oft of the roadway onto the track; inclines (not shown) being preferably provided to run the vehicle up, so that the wheel rims may ride onto the rails. Then the vehicle is on the rails it is supported from the rims 13 with the tires 6 above and out-of Contact with the ground, so that the vehicle vmay be driven along the track at a speed which would be impossible on the ordinary roadway even in good weather.

Then the vehicle reaches an interrupted part of the track it runs oli' of the track ontothe roadway, travels over the railroad track or bridge on the ordinary tires 6 and then returns to the track at the opposite side of the. railroad track or bridge, where it resumes its track travel until again interruptterminal is at a cit;T limits, the track may be arranged to run the vehicle onto a paved street.

It is apparent that while my improvements make it possible to run a motor vehicle over a track the weight of it is so materially less than that of an ordinary car as to make possible the use of very light rails and inexpensive roadbed, and as the vehicle may run over the track onto the road, the

cost .of terminal `and crossing facilities is ellmlnated, so that transportation of this character may be provided for the localities that would not warrant the expenditure necessary for the installation and maintenance of steam or other interurban railway lines.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:

1. A vehicle wheel comprising separate tread members of different diameter, the tread member of less diameter having an outstanding flange adjacent its edge, for the purpose set forth. A

2. A vehicle wheel comprising a body part, having a res'hnt tread member, and a metallic rim fixed to the body part and forming a tread member of less diameter than the resilient.tread, and an outstanding flange on the inner edge of the metallic rim adjacent the resilient tread, for the purpose set forth.

3. A vehicle wheel comprising ,a body member, having a resilient tread, and a metallic rim on said body member, of less diameter than the resilient tread and having an integral outwardly extended flange at its inner edge, for the purpose set forth.

4. A vehicle wheel comprising a body member, having a resilient tread, and a metallic plate secured to the body member and having a circular rim of less diameter than the resilient tread and inset from the edge .of the plate to form a supplemental tread and expose a flange portion on said plate.

5. A vehicle wheel comprising a body member, a web attached to the body member and terminating short of the circumference thereof, means for attaching the web to the' body member and a rim integral with and projecting laterally from the web, and spaced inwardly from the edge of the web to provide a web flange, for the purpose set forth.

6. The combination with a vehicle Wheel comprising spokes, a felly, a rim clamp and a tire, of a web, bolts extending through the spokes and web, and other bolts extending through the felly, the rim clamp and the web to bolt the web to the wheel, and a rim extending laterally from the web, the said rim being inset from the edge of the web, and the web being extended beyond the body of the rim clamp to form a tire securing rim and track iiange, substantially as set forth.

-In testimony whereof I aiiX my signature.

JOSEPH J. HEIM` 

